Page 33 of Liberating Mia
“I told you. Fixing your shower problem. Making you waterproof if you will.” She patted the countertop. “Here, lean against here so you don’t have to hold your full body weight and I can still get to your side easily.”
Doing as he was told, he rested his butt against the vanity and watched her neatly lay the things in her arms on the counter. His eyebrow quirked when he saw what she’d brought. Cling film, a much smaller box he couldn’t quite see, a small bottle containing clear gel, and scissors.
What the hell?
Mia quickly washed her hands and sanitized using the little bottle of gel. Then she took the roll of cling film out of the box and cursed while trying to find the start of the plastic roll. Eventually, she managed to get it, and unravelling a small bit, she placed it against his side.
“Hold this for me please?” She indicated the plastic she held.
He was beginning to figure out what she might have in mind, and he was intrigued to see how she was going to do this. He gently laid his hands over the piece she indicated, and she wrapped it around as far as she could reach. Letting go of one hand, she reached it around the back of him to pass the roll from one hand to the other and continued to unravel it around his midriff.
“Where did you get all of this at such short notice?” Finn asked.
“The ladies at the front desk very kindly helped me gather all the supplies. They looked at me somewhat oddly when I asked for the items, but they gamely played along.”
When she got back to the starting point, Mia repeated the process. And again, until three layers of cling film encircled his waist. She cut the film with the scissors she’d brought. Next, she took a roll of broad surgical tape out of the box he’d been unable to see properly, doing the same with the tape as she’d done with the cling film.
Only this time, she sealed it onto his body. Top and bottom. Stepping, she smiled. Rather proudly, he thought, chuckling to himself.
“There you go. You’re all sealed up. Your bandage should stay nice and dry like that.”
Mia crouched and tapped the leg closest to her. “Lift?”
When her intention became clear, Finn cringed. “No, Mia. I don’t expect you to remove my socks. My feet have been inside combat boots for hours. They definitely won’t be their freshest.”
“That’s why there’s soap. And sanitizer, if it’s makes you feel better. Now lift.”
Reluctantly, he complied. She tugged his sock off, dropped it to the floor, and showed for him to repeat the process with the other foot. When she was done, she stood. “Unfortunately, you’re on your own with those,” she said, pointing to his pants. “If I help you out of them, who knows where that will lead? And I think you’ve suffered enough for one day. Besides, it’s late, and we’re both exhausted.” She started to leave the room but stopped just before she exited. “Shout if you need help.”
He nodded, and she closed the door behind her as she left.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pulling the door closed, Mia leaned against it for a second. She realized in that moment just how accurate her statement had been. She was beyond exhausted. When her head hit that pillow, she was going to sleep like the dead until morning.
Or was it already morning? She had no idea what the time currently was. The concept had lost all meaning to her locked in a cage in a building with its windows painted pitch black. No light had seeped into the area where they’d been held, so they’d never know whether it was day or night, whether an hour had gone by, a day, or a week. Time had been meaningless in that hellhole. And now, with no watch or cell phone, she had no way of finding out.
Hearing a noise out in the hallway, Mia turned her head toward the sound, and she spotted a bag standing beside the door.Herbag. Where on earth had it come from? Was that where Finn had disappeared to when, for a delusional moment, she’d thought he’d abandoned her?
She dashed over to the suitcase, unzipping it hastily. Flipping the top flap open, she couldn’t believe her eyes. All her things were inside, including her purse. Tears of gratitude slipped over her lashes. She’d been convinced she would never see these things again. Whipping her purse out first, she dug through all the crap inside to find her cell phone. She sighed in disappointment when she found the battery flat. She threw it back into her bag in disgust. Tomorrow was early enough to charge it.
Next, she turned her attention to her little suitcase, looking for something suitable to sleep in. It didn’t take long to remember that all the bag contained was the wispy, lacy garments Dylan had a penchant for.
Mia was looking for comfy, full coverage. Giving up in disgust, she went over to the dresser, sliding draws open until she found what she was looking for. She pulled one of Finn’s T-shirts out and slipped it over her head, then went back to her own bag and dug out a pair of her favorite boy shorts. The shirt hung low on her thighs. Clearly it was well-worn, and the cotton had turned butter soft.
Sighing in pleasure, she crawled beneath the covers and was just making herself comfortable when the bathroom door opened, and a billow of steam preceded a barely dressed Finn. He had a towel slung over his neck and another one rode low on his hips. Water droplets chased each other down his ripped and chiseled body and over the plastic surrounding him. Mia ran the tip of her tongue over her suddenly dry lips.
In her mind’s eye, she could see herself collecting the droplets on her tongue. Finn clearing his throat pulled her thoughts out of the gutter.
“Sugar, you keep looking at me like that and I will not be held responsible for what happens next. And I think we could both do with a good night’s rest. Yeah?”
She nodded. Her eyes finally moved up to his and found him studying her attire. He scanned the room, and she saw the moment he spotted her bag lying abandoned on the floor, its contents strewn all over like it had exploded. He looked back at her, and she saw his lips quirk.
“Comfy?”
Mia looked down at the shirt she wore and couldn’t help grinning back. “Yeah, I really am.”
Finn laughed a deep belly laugh. One she hadn’t heard from him before. “I just bet.”
